Boards

"Taking their name from the 1998 Chinese film Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl, post-punk throwbacks Xiu Xiu were formed in San Jose, CA, by Cory McCullough, Yvonne Chen (publisher of the indie zine Zum), Lauren Andrews, and Jamie Stewart. Before forming Xiu Xiu, McCullough and Stewart played in the band Ten in the Swear Jar. Prior to the 2002 release of their first full-length album, Knife Play (released on vinyl through Absolutely Kosher and on disc through 5RC/Kill Rock Stars), the band made appearances on numerous compilations. Shortly after Knife Play's release, Springman released a 10" collaboration between Xiu Xiu and Deerhoof. Vocalist Stewart has earned comparisons to the Cure's Robert Smith, while the band itself has been likened to just about any angular guitar band from the late '70s and early '80s without any blindingly obvious sources of inspiration. In 2002, the band issued the Chapel of the Chimes EP. The following year, A Promise and the limited-edition, mostly acoustic Fag Patrol EP arrived, and early 2004 saw the release of their most accessible work to date, Fabulous Muscles. Xiu Xiu kept busy in 2005 with the full-length La Forêt and a split single with Devendra Banhart. The group's fifth album, The Air Force, which was produced by Greg Saunier, arrived in fall 2006; an EP of covers, Tu Mi Piaci, was also released that year. 2008's Women as Lovers managed to be some of Xiu Xiu's catchiest and most abrasive work, and featured Michael Gira on a cover of "Under Pressure." Caralee McElroy, who had joined the group for The Air Force, left Xiu Xiu in 2009 and became a member of Cold Cave; she was replaced by Angela Seo, who worked with Stewart and Saunier on 2010's more overtly poppy and electronic Dear God, I Hate Myself."

FORMER GHOSTS (upset the rhythm)

"Former Ghosts is a new synthpop project from Freddy Ruppert, formerly of This Song Is a Mess But So Am I. The band is also comprised of Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart, Zola Jesus’ Nika Roza and TEARIST’s Yasmine Kittles. Ruppert is the lead songwriter on this brutally gloomy project. The title of the debut, Fleurs, is a reference to the white-flowered iris (Iris germanica)."

SLUSHY GUTS (chaos vs cosmos)

"Noise guru/illustrator stephen vs cosmos has stripped back the viscera and given something completely of himself with slushy guts. recordings so intimate you can here every wisp slip from his lips, these are spidery, spectral songs illustrated with surreal moments from a life well lived. the virtuoso guitar playing recalls a more spacial john fahey or jim o-rourke, while the glacial darkness has moments of US heroes the for carnation. lovingly hand-made and illustrated, these are touching little gems in cdr form."

SUNDAY 31ST OCTOBER

BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB, LEEDS

7.30 PM

tickets now available online from seetickets, wegottickets and lunatickets. also available from jumbo records and crash records, as well as the brudenell!